What Is Salvation and Sanctification?

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WHAT IS SALVATION AND SANCTIFICATION?

How a church defines salvation will significantly impact a believer’s walk with God. There are two distinct definitions/approaches. Some would argue that there’s a third one.



NONDISPENSATIONALISM: Salvation by Works—Conditional

Salvation can be referred to as traveling the great highway to a better place after death.

According to this avenue, salvation, being allowed to enter heaven, is based on some ritual or ceremony and obeying the tenets of the religious system.



What might affect a believer’s status and remove their admission are the following:

●Not evidencing good works

●Repenting of their sins and believing in Jesus but were not baptized in water

●Willful disobedience10

●Turns completely to the dark side and decides he wants to worship Satan as a result of the wealth and power that [he] may be able to give him while he is still living down here on earth.11

●Has decided to join and live in some type of organized crime, who gets into killing and murdering others for their own gain and profit12

●Gets into the heavier types of sins on a frequent basis with no intention of trying to pull out of them13

●Stops believing14

●Had participated in church activities, perhaps even seemed to be used [by] God—then dropped it all and walked away15

●Engaged in certain [sins, a certain amount of sin] or a certain amount of time in sin16



Another word we must consider that brings about the possibility that a person’s eternal destiny can be obtained by what we do is called sanctification.



What is sanctification according to this salvation perspective?

Please turn to the book of Philippians.



Philippians 2:12

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; NASB

The Apostle Paul was encouraging the believers of the church at Phillippi to work out (by obedience) their own salvation (eternal destiny) with fear and trembling. The word salvation (present tense: continuous action in the present; a daily process) is used in coordination with sanctification. Sanctification is salvation according to this perspective, whose emphasis is on obedience.



Obedience to what?

By obedience to what the Word of God mandates, such as being baptized in water; obeying some of the tenets of the Mosaic Law, such as tithing, observing the Sabbath, performing good works; exemplifying Christ-like behavior; what the leaders of the local assembly request that the members observe, etc. This would constitute a good definition of sanctification.

Salvation is based on sanctification. No obedience results in the loss of salvation. Sanctification is salvation.

Verses that are used to support this perspective are found in the book of Hebrews. Please turn there in your Bible.



Hebrews 5:7-9

7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. NASB

Jesus, during the time that He lived on the earth, i.e., during His incarnation, offered up prayers (petitions from a sense of need) and supplications (petitions for divine help or protection) with loud crying (the intensity of the voice which is referred to when it is raised by an agony of suffering17) and tears unto the Father who was able to save Him from death (the dread of death on the spot by the intensity of his sufferings and by the power of the tempter, or it might be the dread of the approaching death on the cross18), presumably while He was residing in the Garden of Gethsemane.

8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. NASB

Being God’s Son, He learned (experimentally and practically) obedience (did what God the Father told Him to do) from His sufferings.

9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, NASB

And having been made perfect (having obtained the goal: having died and risen again), He became the source of eternal salvation to all that obey(this kind of salvation is explicitly contingent on obedience and indeed on [obedience modeled after that of Jesus,] who also suffered19; it is not merely believers, but obedient believers, that shall be finally saved20) Him.

Let’s take a look at what constitutes sanctification in regard to the other salvation message.



DISPENSATIONALISM: Salvation by Grace through Faith—Irrevocable



What is salvation?

I’ll give two definitions. The first is a representation.

Salvation is a wicket, i.e., a little door in a large gate.21

Salvation refers to the bundle of benefits received when a person responds to the gospel of Christ, admitting they’re a sinner, expressing a desire to turn from their sinful ways, and professing belief in God’s Son, Jesus, as to who He is and what He accomplished through the sacrificial offering of Himself on the cross having paid the debt owed of humanity to satisfy the justice of God the Father and removing the record of such; the resurrection of whom after three days following His death is proof of the Father’s acceptance of His atonement.

This begs the question.



Where in Scripture does it talk about spiritual blessings received at salvation?

A reference to the blessings received at salvation is found in the following verse.

Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. NASB

He who sows to the Spirit (promotes his own spiritual growth22; [concentrates] on the fruit of the Spirit23) will reap eternal life (reaps the blessings of the eternal life which God has given him24).



Salvation occurs at a point in time and is a one-time event.

Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, NASB

This verse conveys to us that if an unbeliever hears the gospel and believes it, they’re sealed with the Holy Spirit. The verb sealed of the phrase you were sealed in Koine Greek is in the Aorist passive indicative. The Aorist is the tense, meaning that the sealing took place at a point in time. Therefore, salvation isn’t a process but a one-time occurrence in a believer’s life that’s not based on obedience, as the following verses will attest.



Hebrews 5:7-9

7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. NASB

Jesus, during the time that He lived on the Earth, i.e., during His incarnation, offered up prayers (petitions from a sense of need) and supplications (petitions for divine help or protection) with loud crying (the intensity of the voice which is referred to when it is raised by an agony of suffering25) and tears unto the Father who was able to save Him from death (the dread of death on the spot by the intensity of his sufferings and by the power of the tempter, or it might be the dread of the approaching death on the cross26) presumably while He was residing in the Garden of Gethsemane.

8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. NASB

Being God’s Son, He learned (experimentally and practically) obedience (the special course of submission27) through His sufferings.

9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, NASB

And having been made perfect (having obtained the goal: having died and risen again), He became the source of eternal salvation (the one who causes people to be saved forever28) to all that obey him (of those who have put their faith29 in Him).

Here are some verses that support this perspective.

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, NASB

The Apostle Paul was talking about a future judgment on those who do not know God(unbelievers). Then, he says what it is that caused them to be in their unspiritual condition, which is that they do not obey(trust) the gospel; i.e., they refused to accept the good news when it was presented to them.

This brings us to the following question.



How does salvation relate to sanctification according to this approach?

First, we need to know what is sanctification. What we’ll do is translate the same verse used in the prior salvation viewpoint. Please note the difference in meaning for some of the words in the verse from the prior rendering, as they will be highlighted in bold text.



Philippians 2:12

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; NASB

The Apostle Paul was encouraging the believers of the church at Phillippi to work out (with the help of the Holy Spirit30) their own salvation with fear and trembling. Even though the word salvation (present tense — continuous action in the present; a daily process) is used, this does not pertain to justification (declared righteous by faith—Aorist tense—at a point in time when we believed the gospel in Romans 5:1) but [sanctification, victory over sin,] and the living of a life pleasing to the Lord Jesus.31 Sanctification, unlike salvation, which is the declaration of the spiritual life, is the development of the spiritual life.

With that said, this begs the question.



How does a believer evidence Christ-likeness?

I’ll give you one example. Sanctification starts from within, i.e., in our thought processes. Let’s say I have a weakness of fantasizing about having sex with a woman. What should I do? I’d suggest confessing this mental attitude sin to God the Father immediately. I might say something to Him like, Lord, I acknowledge my sin of fantasizing about having sex with so and so. Now comes recovery.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; (…) NASB

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh (not human judgment; not [superficially]; not earthly,not according to the appearance; we see them the way Christ sees them, as lost sheep who need a shepherd.32); (…) NASB

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, NASB

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere (not for the love of ourselves; to not use for our advantage; free from hypocrisy (a pretense of having a virtuous character33) love of the brethren, fervently (in an all-out manner) love one another from the heart (mind), NASB

After this, I choose to think with God about how He would have me think. As we can see, I’ve translated some of these words further to extract a clear understanding of what they mean.

Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, NASB

Our responsibility is to memorize and meditate upon these verses, adding whatever additional information we choose. As we see, Scripture supports this approach.

What we can deduce about the relationship between salvation and sanctification is as follows:

Without salvation, a person can’t become sanctified. However, sanctification (evidencing Christlikeness) doesn’t impact a believer’s salvation.

Believe it or not, there’s a third salvation/sanctification rendering.



SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH PLUS WORKS

This says that if a believer’s walk with God doesn’t evidence a change in the behavior and godly works, their faith is not genuine, i.e., it’s counterfeit. I characterize this perception with the teachings of nondispensationalism, which supports the belief that salvation is based on works.



Where has this gotten us in terms of our study on financial giving?

To better understand why some churches support certain types of giving and others don’t. It depends on whether the theology of the church is formulated using the dispensational or non-dispensational approach.



Where do we go from here?

We’ll be comparing and contrasting the same verses found in the Old and New Testament that pertain to the subject of financial giving. Whatever these verses are, they’ll be translated according to the nondispensational perspective and then the dispensational outlook.



Why are we doing this?

We’re undertaking this to help us understand how the verses on this topic of financial giving would be translated differently based on the two approaches I’ve introduced.

Ultimately, this should help us decide which form of giving is biblically supported.

Before we begin comparing and contrasting Scriptures, I’ve left a brief article centered on what I term ‘the tithing controversy.’



THE TITHING CONTROVERSY

The controversy over tithing centers on whether tithing is a biblical practice and whether it is Christian:



Biblical
Some say that tithing is a biblical practice that predates the Law. Jacob vowed to tithe to the Lord at Bethel, and this practice was later codified in the Law.



Not Christian
Others say that tithing is biblical but not Christian. They argue that there is no passage in Scripture that instructs Jews or Christians to give 10% of their money to a religious institution.



Endorsed by Jesus
However, others say that Jesus endorsed tithing and expected his followers to exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.



For our benefit
Some say that tithing is meant for our benefit, as it reminds us to rely on God to meet our needs.34



Endnotes

10“What is the Assemblies of God position on the security of the believer’s salvation?” 20 August 2012

˂http://www.ag.org/top/beliefs>.

11“Can a Christian lose salvation?” 20 August 2012

˂https://bit.ly/4hMoA31>.

12“Can a Christian lose salvation?”

13“Can a Christian lose salvation?”

14“Eternal Security — or — Can a Christian Lose His Salvation?” 21 August 2024

˂https://bit.ly/42SNtpj>.

15“Eternal Security — or — Can a Christian Lose His Salvation?”

16“Eternal Security — or — Can a Christian Lose His Salvation?”

17Barnes’ Notes. Pc Study Bible version 5, 2006. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 6 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

18Barnes’ Notes.

19Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 6 December 2024 ˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

20Adam Clarke’s Commentary Pc Study Bible version 5, 2004. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 6 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

21Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

22Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament, 2000, 8 December 2024˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

23UBS New Testament Handbook Series Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005. BIBLESOFT. WEB.

15 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

24Weust’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005.

BIBLESOFT. WEB. 16 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

25Barnes’ Notes.

26Barnes’ Notes.

27Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005. BIBLESOFT. WEB.

20 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

28UBS New Testament Handbook Series.

29The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament, 1989. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 20 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

30The Pulpit Commentary Pc Study Bible version 5, 2006. BIBLESOFT. WEB. 20 December 2024

˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.

31Weust’s Word Studies.

32The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.

33Dictionary.com.

34“The Tithing Controversy,” AI 6 January 2024

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